No good wishes for this year, only lumps of coal

Sunday

Dec 30, 2012 at 6:00 AMDec 30, 2012 at 2:46 PM

Aaron Nicodemus ON BUSINESS

Last year at this time, I had good wishes and nice thoughts for area businesses. But this year, I'm grumpy. Too many businesses took advantage of their customers this year, so I'm giving out lumps of coal.

Let's start with Direct Air, a company about whom enough bad words cannot be said.

I mean, the Myrtle Beach, S.C.-based airline that flew to Florida and South Carolina from Worcester Regional Airport was taking reservations for flights months in advance, even as the company was teetering on the edge of insolvency. In the bankruptcy filing that followed the air carrier's abrupt March shutdown, the federal government fined Direct Air $10 million for failing to give passengers 10 days' notice before canceling 144 flights.

On the positive side, JetBlue has been making kissing noises as a potential suitor to the Worcester airport, and Rectrix Aviation will start building a $5 million hangar at the airport this winter. So all is not lost.

SureShot Videography of Millbury gets a big ol' lump of coal. Jesse J. Clark of Sturbridge, the owner, shot dozens of weddings with his video camera, then did not deliver the promised treasured mementos. Mr. Clark, who also operated SureShot Portraits, Magnolia Wedding Films and InFocus Studios, was continuing to accept work even as he was failing to produce videos for other customers. According to a story written by the T&G's Susan Spencer, Mr. Clark was advertising for InFocus Studios on wedding websites, under a pseudonym, in order to avoid the bad publicity that had rightfully been attached to his real name.

As of this month, 84 people had filed complaints with the attorney general's office against Mr. Clark and his various businesses.

See a pattern here? I don't fault business people when their business fails. It happens all the time, for all kinds of legitimate reasons. But when the closing of their doors does not end the rip-offs, that's when the coal starts flying.

Coal for the Piccadilly Pub chain, which had restaurants in Worcester, Westboro and Sturbridge. They closed abruptly on Super Bowl Sunday in February. We in the news media received dozens of calls from angry customers who had purchased gift cards for Christmas, only to find two months later that they were worthless.

As a consumer, you think that buying from a chain insulates you from this sort of thing. But there are plenty of chains out there with just as much chance of failing as your local diner. Can you say Friendly's?

Some coal for Edwin D. Eames of Oxford, whose home heating oil company, Ed's Oil Co. Inc., closed abruptly in February. Dozens of customers who prepaid for their oil were left trying to sue Mr. Eames in small claims court to get their money back, and had to go out and contract with another oil company.

And he wasn't the only oil company owner to leave his customers in the lurch and be deserving of coal.

George E. Papageorge of Thompson closed Kalami Fuels Inc., doing business as Action Oil & Septic, this past March without warning. He now faces larceny charges for taking prepayment orders and failing to deliver home heating oil to customers.

The Worcester Tornadoes baseball team managed to get through the season, but barely. They deserve some coal anyway. The financially-strapped club did not cancel any of its home games, which would have left ticket holders with worthless pieces of paper. But the club does owe nearly $50,000 to local businesses such as the Hilton Garden Inn and National Amusements of Framingham, for uniforms. Because Streamlined Sports Inc., which owns the Tornadoes, bungled things so badly, the Can Am League stripped the Tornadoes of its league membership, and there won't be professional baseball in Worcester next spring.

The Tornadoes' owner, Todd Breighner of Maryland, took over a team that was in financial trouble, and had seemed to do many of the things necessary to right the ship: cut expenses, rachet up ticket sales. But then he went and signed washed-up steroid pumper Jose Canseco to play outfield, and the public saw right through the publicity stunt.

Mr. Canseco hit one lousy home run, got few other hits and quit halfway through the season. He then filed a lawsuit, saying the Tornadoes owe him $840,000. I think he misplaced a decimal point or two. Looks like Mr. Canseco got his coal early.

Have a Happy 2013!

Contact Aaron Nicodemus by email at anicodemus@telegram.com or at (508) 793-9473.